


Snapshots

by pinn



Category: The OC
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-24
Updated: 2010-01-24
Packaged: 2017-10-06 15:31:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinn/pseuds/pinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just like every other summer except not at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snapshots

**i.**  
There's a small stain on Ryan's shirt, right by the collar, and Seth can't stop staring at it.

Ever since Rosa quit, two weeks after his mom went into rehab, he and Ryan have split up the chores. Seth's in charge of laundry and cleaning while Ryan takes care of the cooking and shopping.

His dad keeps saying that they can't hire anyone new till his mom gets home and Seth agrees with him, most of the time. But looking at Ryan's shirt right now, Seth is tired of dirty floors and stains that don't come out in the wash.

 

**ii.**  
Ryan's standing in the produce section of the grocery store, picking out tomatoes, when it hits him. He's picking up the pieces again, just the way he did with his mom, just the way Sandy promised him he would never have to do again.

He puts the tomatoes in the cart. At least this time he's got money for food instead of having to steal it because his mom had spent all of hers on alcohol.

Sandy didn't lie to him, though; he had just never expected this to happen and that's the one reason Ryan's sticking around and rebuilding.

 

**iii.**  
The lime jello shot burns Marissa's throat as she swallows it down but that doesn't stop her from grabbing another one from the guy standing next to her. She's pretty sure his name is Tom but she can't say for sure.

Marissa had been sitting on the beach earlier that day, trying to get over her latest hangover, when he had sat down in front of her, introduced himself, and told her about a killer party his friends were having.

Tom, or maybe Todd, grabs her hand. "C'mon," he smiles, "I've got somewhere private we can go."

And she goes.

 

**iv.**  
Visiting days at the hospital are twice a month, and Seth and Ryan have decided that they'll only go up for one of the days so that Sandy and Kirsten can have the other day to themselves.

They mean well, and Sandy's proud that they've managed to raise two thoughtful kids. It's just that Sandy prefers the days the boys drive up with him. When Seth and Ryan are in the car, Sandy's stomach doesn't lurch and he doesn't spend ten minutes sitting, key in the ignition, thinking of every way he's let Kirsten down in the past two years.

 

**v.**  
It's raining the day Zach moves to Washington, D.C.

His mom hands him the last of his dress shirts and sniffs, "It's for the best, Zach. It'll get you away from that gang of yours. Besides, everyone knows East Coast colleges are far superior. Your father was a Yale man."

Zach nods mutely and zips up his suitcase. He had already said his goodbyes to his friends, and made empty promises about keeping in touch. The only thing left to do was watch the rain hit against the window and wonder why anyone would want to be a Yale man.

 

**vi.**  
Right after her mom left for the last time, Summer was afraid of the dark. She would lie in bed and cry, terrified of what was hiding in the shadows. After a few weeks of crying herself to sleep, Summer decided that only babies were afraid of the dark and that she would never be afraid again.

Since Trey, Summer's realized that it's not always monsters who are hiding in the shadows. Most nights, she winds up sneaking out of her house and climbing in Cohen's window. He doesn't exactly chase the shadows away; he just makes them less scary.


End file.
